Trip-protection insurance is popular with airline passengers who worry that a change in plans could mean forfeiture of airfare, prepaid accommodations and other upfront travel costs. Many air charter customers could benefit even more from such coverage, due to the amount of money at stake. Charter operators typically assess cancellation penalties that escalate as departure times approach.

Having emerged battered and bruised from the 2008 recession, aircraft lenders face fresh challenges. While worldwide economic woes linger like a bad cold that won’t go away, these lenders can expect accounting and regulatory changes that may have a significant impact on their business.

If you’ve been flying privately for a while, you can probably name a few missions that stand out as being particularly memorable. Maybe it was a whirlwind business trip when you packed a lot of important–and profitable–visits into very little time. Or perhaps it was an impromptu ski trip you dialed up just because your favorite resort was reporting fresh powder.

It was his third try, and the first two hadn’t gone well. The man was seated in a bus-like facsimile of an airplane cabin suspended above what looked like an Olympic-size swimming pool. At the command of the leader of the exercise, the big blue “fuselage” plunged into the water and slowly turned upside-down.

We asked three of our favorite travel writers to describe the finest little-known hotels and resorts they’ve discovered. Some are off the beaten path or new or do not advertise. Others are just plain obscure. All are certified great by our panel of globetrotters. Happy traveling.

Dawn blew a gentle breeze through the entryway, but a few paces beyond, stillness prevailed. Unseen birds chirped wakeup calls and chalky dust stirred at my feet. I felt humbled as I trekked down the same path used by the Nabataeans, the people who prospered here 2,300 years ago.

While most aircraft completion and refurbishment centers these days can provide clients with a one-dimensional, computer-generated virtual cabin walk-through in various design phases, some centers now offer much more advanced 3-D virtual interiors. Others are creating real, full-scale mockups that let customers literally enter a replica of the cabin.